Owner of 1 French Quarter institution taking on another

NEW ORLEANS - The owner of one French Quarter institution is buying another.

Ralph Brennan - proprietor of Brennan's on Royal Street - is buying the Napoleon House, operated by the Impastato family since 1914.

The plan for the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group to buy the historic bar and restaurant was announced Tuesday. Terms were not announced.

Brennan owns several restaurants and most recently renovated and re-opened Brennan's - a restaurant that has been in his family for generations. He and a business partner acquired it after his cousins lost it at a sheriff's sale.

The Napoleon House - a few blocks away at the corner of Chartres and St. Louis - is famous for the well-worn paint on its walls, a weathered wooden bar and its signature drink, the Pimm's cup.